


The Law Of Attraction

by Oryu404



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fairy Tail Bigbang, Family Drama, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Opposites Attract, Rating May Change, They're all dumb and gay, lots of swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23229397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oryu404/pseuds/Oryu404
Summary: On the introduction day of college, Sting gets bored and decides to have some fun and pull some harmless pranks together with his best friend Natsu. It’s all fun and games until another freshman becomes the unintended target, resulting in a fight that almost gets physical.After a long day of college and work, Rogue is excited to move into his new apartment. This excitement dies like a fire that’s doused with a bucket of water when he finds out that a mistake has led to his apartment being double-rented. His new roommate? That asshole who pulled a stupid prank on him.They are left with no other choice but to set aside their differences, look past their animosity and learn how to work together in order to keep the apartment. It’s challenging and neither of them is particularly excited about it, but life is full of surprises and the situation takes some unexpected turns.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Fairy Tail Big Bang 2019, Fairy Tail LGBTales





	1. Troublemakers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mdelpin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdelpin/gifts), [BecauseSin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BecauseSin/gifts).



> This is my story for the FT-EZ Bigbang of 2019/2020! I never intended for it to become a long multichap, but it somehow....escalated? I blame the enemies to lovers trope...and my plotmates.
> 
> And on that note, I'd like to gift this fic to mdelpin and BecauseSin, since they've been there for the tragedy that was my plotting attempts for this story and have been a great help! Thanks a lot guys, you rock ^^
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> If you'd like to have a chat with me about Fairy Tail, my stories, or writing/art in general, click on the link to join our discord [The Unholy Trinity](https://discord.gg/2w9QBmkPd7)!

  
Even after all those years of being friends, there were still moments when Natsu could surprise Sting, and right now was one of those moments.  
  
All athletes had to report on campus early, so Natsu had been settled in his dorm room for a week now, along with his roommate Gray. Sting had been staying with them, a temporary solution until he’d receive his own apartment keys. If all was right that would be tomorrow, right after introduction day. They had to get up early and it was bound to be a long day, so they had no business being up late.  
  
And yet, here they were, sitting on Natsu’s bed together at 2 am. Natsu had his laptop on his lap and a grin on his face. He plugged in a pair of earphones, putting one bud in his left ear and giving the other to Sting so he could put it in his right. His grin only widened as his fingers raced across the keyboard to enter his password.  
  
“Okay, let me do a quick check before we start,” he whispered, "Gray should be asleep right now, if he’d wake up and heard us it would ruin the plan." He made sure that the earphones were plugged in properly and lowered the volume before putting on a random song from one of his Spotify playlists. “Can you hear that?”  
  
“Yep,” Sting nodded, bobbing his head and lip-syncing along with the song, pouting when Natsu turned it off again. “Hey, that was a good song! I was just getting into it…”  
  
“Too bad. We’re on a mission, and I could really use your help. You can listen to Imagine Dragonslayers all you want later.” Natsu opened a browser tab and started typing some words into the address bar.  
  
Sting blinked a couple of times at the words that appeared before him. He loved Natsu dearly, they had been best friends ever since they’d met at some posh event their parents had taken them to. He could still remember being bored to death until all of a sudden this pink-haired boy showed up, asking him if he wanted to go play hide and seek. They had been pretty much inseparable from that night on, doing just about anything together.  
  
Anything _but_ the things that currently popped into his head. The words “I could really use your help” combined with Natsu’s search for ‘hardcore gay porn’ were raising some serious questions for Sting.  
  
“Uhm...Natsu?” he started uncertainly, “What do you need my help with, exactly?”  
  
“Not with what you’re thinking, that’s for sure,” Natsu snorted. “I’m just looking for a good clip and I could use your opinion. Bet you watched a ton of this.”  
  
“A ton?!” Sting hissed, elbowing Natsu’s side, “what makes you say that?!”  
  
“You’re in the prime of puberty, your parents are almost never at home and you like dudes.”  
  
“...Okay, fair,” he shrugged, watching as Natsu clicked one of the links that his search returned. “But you like dudes too, aren’t you familiar enough with this stuff yourself already?”  
  
“That’s not the point, it’s way more fun doing this together!”  
  
Lost once again, Sting looked at Natsu with a blank expression. Just when he thought this situation wasn’t going to get weird, Natsu was making it more confusing.  
  
“Doing...what together?”  
  
“You’ll see, just help me pick a clip. It has to be long, and preferably very loud.”  
  
  
_~~~_  
  
  
Despite having gone to sleep way too late, Natsu and Sting had gotten up extra early that morning. They hadn’t showered yet, just changed into everyday clothes and left the dorm as quietly as possible, without waking up Gray.  
  
In the nearest coffee shop, they had bought some fresh sandwiches and three steaming hot cups of coffee, one for each of them. This was the last morning Sting would spend at Natsu and Gray’s dorm, starting tomorrow he’d wake up and have breakfast alone. Sure, he was looking forward to having a bed of his own again, and a place to keep all his stuff, but he would definitely miss the company.  
  
He wasn’t thinking about that too much right now. Last night’s efforts had paid off and now that Sting finally knew what Natsu had been up to, he was just as giddy as his best friend was. They’d had to stifle their giggles all morning, but as they went back and got closer to the dorm their excitement only grew.  
  
“Oh man, I can’t wait to see the look on his face,” Natsu laughed when they entered the building and walked up the stairs to reach the second floor.  
  
The noise could already be heard from the hallway, so Sting and Natsu needed a moment to let out some snickering, take a deep breath and put on a straight face.  
  
Natsu unlocked his door as quietly as possible, shooting one last glance at Sting before he’d open it, “ready? Okay, just act casual.”  
  
Sting tried, he really did, but the moment they walked through the door and entered the small living room he had to press his lips together tightly to keep from laughing. Gray was standing in front of Natsu’s bedroom door, yelling and banging against it with his fist, dressed in only his boxers. His face was beet-red and he was looking rather upset, much to Natsu’s and Sting’s barely repressed amusement. The reason behind Gray’s behavior? The sounds of loud moaning and grunting coming from the other side of Natsu’s door.  
  
“I swear to God, assholes, knock it off!” Gray shouted at the door, not yet realizing that who he thought were inside the bedroom were actually standing right behind him. “School starts in about an hour, weren’t we supposed to all go together?!”  
  
“Hey Gray, ‘sup?” Natsu asked, looking as innocent as he possibly could, and at that point Sting just lost it. He burst out in laughter, and it was a good thing he was holding the bag of sandwiches and not the cardboard cup holder that held the coffees otherwise he’d have spilled them all doubling over.  
  
Startled, Gray turned around, head going back and forth between them and the door as he pieced together what was going on. Meanwhile, Natsu was laughing his ass off as well, luckily keeping the cups of coffee upright in his hands.  
  
“Your face!” he wheezed, holding the tray of coffees up in defense when Gray was about to chuck the first thing he could grab- a coaster from the coffee table- at his face.  
  
“ _My_ face? You should see yours when I get my hands on it!”  
  
“Oooh, kinky,” Natsu chuckled, and that was enough for Gray to drop the subject, cheeks still a deep shade of pink.  
  
“Just turn that crap off already! We’re going to be late.”  
  
And Gray had almost been right. Since none of them had showered yet, the rest of their morning had been a huge rush. After wolfing down their breakfast they took turns speed-showering, and Sting and Natsu had another good laugh when it seemed that for the first time Gray looked troubled at the fact that they were running around the house naked. Once they were all packed and dressed they left for the campus, their paces quick so they’d still make it in time on their official first day.  
  
  
_~~~_  
  
  
Sting couldn’t remember what the superlative to boring was, but that was exactly how he’d describe his first day of college, in capital letters. His only solace was that he and Natsu had shared every class so far, and they had kept themselves somewhat entertained by doodling lewd things on each other’s notebooks.  
  
Luckily, football practice was up next. It sure beat sitting in a lecture room and listening to what felt like endless talking, but they’d have to bridge the gap of a free period first. And they had already decided how they were going to spend it: wreaking havoc like they always did.  
  
Harmless havoc, of course. If Sting got in trouble and lost his scholarship he’d be so fucked.  
  
But a race around the building and a noodle eating competition didn’t hurt anyone, aside from the moment when Natsu almost knocked over their football coach. _Almost_ . He managed to dodge him at the very last second, chalking it up to his amazing speed and lightning reflexes. And he wasn’t necessarily wrong, those skills were exactly what made him a great running back, after all, so the coach barely reprimanded them, just yelled that he’d be pissed as hell if they wouldn’t show that same fire on the field later.  
  
“Shhh! I think someone’s coming!” Sting hushed Natsu. They still had some time left, and Sting had- as he did say so himself- a great idea. It should be harmless enough as well, whoever fell victim to it wouldn’t suffer from anything but a good jumpscare. 

  
He ducked back around the corner he and Natsu were hiding behind after he had made sure that the person approaching them was just a fellow student and not one of the teachers. In a quick glimpse Sting had seen a guy bringing his backpack to his front to rummage through it, which was great because that meant it was definitely a student, and he had been too occupied to notice them. Perfect.  
  
Armed with an airhorn, Sting waited until the footsteps and the moving shadow on the smooth flooring of the campus building were coming closer, and as soon as he saw a worn-down black boot emerge from behind the wall he pressed the horn. A loud honk rang through the hallway, causing the victim of the prank to jump up in shock… 

And spill half of the contents of the can of soda he had just opened all over himself. 

Oops.  
  
The sudden noise had startled some other nearby students as well, but most of them could see the humor in it and laughed it off. The guy whose shirt was now decorated with a large wet stain of some cheap brand energy drink, however, could definitely not. Horrified he looked at the damage, pulling the sticky shirt away from his skin before he started to search for the one to hold responsible, having no trouble identifying Sting as such.  
  
If looks could kill Sting would have dropped dead that very moment, but for someone looking this murderous, the guy was actually pretty cute. Annnddd...getting dangerously close now.  
  
“Uhm...sorry?” Sting chuckled, unsure if he should feel threatened or delighted to be backed up against a wall by a handsome guy in a wet t-shirt. Not that he was afraid he’d lose a fight if it would come down to it, which it was kind of starting to look like. In years of playing football, he’d faced plenty of opponents who were a lot bigger and bulkier than this guy. Hell, he’d probably wipe the fucking floor with him if he wanted to, but he wasn’t particularly looking to start a fight.  
  
“Sorry?” the guy repeated calmly, though his dark eyes were burning with rage. “Fuck you and your sorry!”  
  
“‘Kay, but shouldn’t we go out for dinner first?”

So that wasn’t the greatest way for Sting to respond, but he couldn’t resist. His chances with this guy- if he ever would’ve had them in a different situation- were definitely zero now, but at the very least he’d wanted to let him know that he wasn’t impressed or intimidated. Instead of allowing himself to be pushed against the wall he stepped forward until their foreheads were just inches away from touching, countering the angered features of the other guy’s face with a lopsided smirk.  
  
“Oh, you think this is funny?! I’m curious, would you still be smiling if I knocked out your teeth?!”  
  
“Dude, relax!” Natsu stepped in. “You’re overreacting, it was just a joke. We had no idea you were holding a drink.”  
  
“I’m overreacting?! Easy to say for someone who doesn’t have to walk around in a sticky shirt for the rest of the day! What are you, retarded?! Is it that hard to be considerate?!”  
  
"Don't bother getting worked up over these two," Gray's voice suddenly appeared from behind them as he joined the dispute, "trust me, I've been living with them for the past week. On our first day at the dorm they lit a firecracker, took forever for that smell to leave the room."

Natsu laughed at the memory, even more so when Gray added, "and don't even get me started on the shit they pulled this morning." It seemed to calm the guy down a little, enough for him to back off. 

"Rogue, right? You were in my science class this morning?" Without batting an eye, Gray took off his shirt, "here, you can wear this. It was bound to come off sooner rather than later anyway."

Utterly perplexed, Rogue stared at the shirt that was given to him, then at a now bare-chested Gray. "Then, are you just going to walk around shirtless?" 

"Yeah?" Gray shrugged, like it was the most common thing in the world, "I still have my hockey shirt, I can always wear that if I want to."

"Okay...thanks, uhm… was it Gray?" 

"Yep. No problem."

And with that, Gray gave them a small wave and left, Natsu watching him walk away until he was out of sight. Rogue looked like he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he kept it to himself. 

Crisis averted, and Rogue shot Sting one last irritated look. 

"So, are you going to strip for us as well?" Sting challenged, prompting him to turn on his heels and stomp off. 

"Asshole!" 

"Worth a try!" 

_~~~_

Sting had finally picked up the keys to his apartment and since it wasn't that far away from Natsu and Gray's dorm he had brought along two boxes of his stuff with him. Upon entering, he was surprised to see that the place looked a lot bigger than it had in the pictures, something he really couldn't complain about. 

The best thing about the apartment was that it was already furnished. For just a few hundred bucks a month this place was almost too good to be true. The combined living-dining area had a small sofa, a coffee table and a tv stand with a tv, and a table with two chairs. There was an open kitchen, small and situated against one of the walls, and three doors aside from the front door. 

Bathroom, bedroom, storage closet, Sting guessed, and he was right about the first two. He didn't check the third one yet, as he was distracted by the bedroom, testing the bed first thing when he came in. He had been sleeping on a crappy couch for the past week, which was a nightmare for his back, so the prospect of finally having a bed to sleep in made it impossible for him not to. 

After a few minutes of relaxing on the bed, Sting grabbed one of the boxes. Most of its contents consisted of clothing and bathroom clutter, the things he used on an everyday basis. He started unpacking, thinking he would pick up the rest of his stuff once he was done. 

He had finished up in the bathroom and was halfway through the process of putting his clothes in his closet when he heard the front door open. That was odd, didn't he lock the door after he came in? Would it be a landlord or landlady? Were they even allowed to have a spare key to the apartment? These questions all went through Sting's head as he paused his unpacking to go see who was there. 

"Hello?" he called out, letting whoever was there know that they weren't alone, "who-"

He didn't get any further than that and he didn't have to. The answer to his question of who was there was answered. Near the front door, kicking off his worn-out black boots, was Rogue, dressed in Gray's shirt and all. So now another question rose. 

"What are _you_ doing here?" both of them asked at the same time. 

"I live here," Sting stated matter-of-factly. 

"No you don't," Rogue came closer and pulled out his key, showing the apartment number that was etched into the metal, " _I_ live here."

"Oh yeah?" Sting grabbed his own key from the dining table where he’d left it earlier, pointing to the apartment number that was visible on it. When they held out their hands next to each other, it was plain to see that the keys were identical. They had the same size, the same shape, and the exact same numbers on them. 32A. 

Sting looked at Rogue, at the large suitcase and the weekend bag he had brought with him, both jam-packed with stuff, and then at that third door he had never bothered to open. Rogue looked at Sting and at one of the empty moving boxes that was on the floor.   
  
When they finally looked at each other again with mortified expressions, Sting feared he could only draw one conclusion.  
  
"Fuck, you've got to be kidding me…" 


	2. Offense, Defense

“Wait a second…” Rogue’s eyes narrowed to slits as he studied Sting’s face judgmentally, “Is this another stupid prank? Where’s the pink-haired idiot? How did you find out my apartment number?”  
  
He started looking around the room, trying to find anything suspicious. It was actually pretty funny, thought Sting, who knew he wasn’t going to find anything, but it wasn’t helping the situation in any way.   
  
“Wish it was,” Sting sighed, letting himself drop on the sofa. “So, when will you be leaving?”   
  
There it was again, that same look he’d received from Rogue earlier that day.   
  
“Excuse me?”   
  
“I SAID: WHEN. WILL. YOU. BE. LEAVING?” Sting repeated, unnecessarily loud and clearly articulating every syllable like he used to do for his deaf grandma, “I. WAS. HERE. FIRST.”   
  
“That’s not how this works! I have a rental contract!”   
  
“So do I. And I was here first.”   
  
For a moment, Sting was convinced that Rogue was getting ready for a throwdown; he could see him clench his fists so tightly they started to tremble. If that was how he wanted to take care of this, then fine, but he seemed to abandon that idea. 

"Show me your contract," Rogue snarled at him, turning around and rummaging through the big suitcase he had brought with him instead, probably looking for his own.  
  
“Fiinneee,” he exasperated, obeying the command but not without making his reluctance very apparent. He got off the couch, sighing and rolling his eyes dramatically, and started looking for the document in question.   
  
About ten minutes later, they were sitting across from each other, both documents laid out at the dinner table along with Rogue’s phone. Sting had to bite back a quip, something along the lines of _‘couldn’t find an older model?’_ but the loud snort he’d let out the moment the device was placed on the table spoke volumes. Rogue dialed the number of the rental agency, phone on speaker, and after the fourth ring someone finally picked up.   
  
"Crocus housing, how can I help you?” The friendly voice of a woman sounded through the phone.   
  
“Hi, I just arrived at the apartment I'm renting, but there seems to be a-” he looked at Sting with visible scorn, _“problem.”_ _  
_ _  
_ “I’m very sorry to hear that,” the voice spoke. “Could you please tell me the address and explain the issue?”

  
“Yes, of course. Hargeon Road 32A, and the issue...I was supposed to be the only tenant, but there’s someone else here who has a key to the apartment, as well as a contract. I think there’s been a mistake made.”   
  
“Alright, I will check our system. Just a minute, please.”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
The line was put on hold; the music that jazzed up the wait was bubbly and uplifting in a way that was so unfitting in their current situation. Still, Sting couldn’t help but sing and move along with the beat.   
  
_“I want something stronger, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, than a moment, than a moment, love~”_   
  
“Please shut up,” Rogue rubbed at his temples.   
  
It didn’t accomplish the effect he desired, because all it did was make Sting increase the volume of his singing, and the impudence of his moves.   
  
_“I HAVE WAITED LONGER! OH-OH-OH-OH-OH, FOR A BOY WITH, FOR A BOY WITH L-”_   
  
“Thank you for waiting.”   
  
Sting kept quiet immediately, though there was no doubt that the rental agency worker had heard him. Even as she didn’t laugh her amusement was evident in her voice.   
  
“I think I have found the cause of the problem,” she continued, regaining her professional tone from earlier. “Currently, there should be a Mr. Cheney and Mr. Eucliffe registered at this address. Is this correct?”   
  
Sting and Rogue both confirmed, and she went on with her explanation.   
  
“You said you were supposed to be the only tenant, and I was able to retrieve the original listing. While it does describe apartment 32A as a single, it’s actually a two-person apartment, so the listing was faulty. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”   
  
“O...kay,” Rogue faltered, blinking a couple of times as he tried to process this information. “But this isn’t what I initially agreed to. Is there a way to fix it?”   
  
“Well, the rent is equally divided between both residents, so if you can come to an agreement with one of you paying the full price every month, the other is free to unregister and find something else."

A sense of dread fell over Sting at the thought of paying the monthly full price for the rent. Carefully, he studied Rogue’s face. If the lack of enthusiasm was anything to go by, Sting guessed that they could at least agree that this was not a solution to their problem. 

  
“Do you have anything available at a similar price as what we’re paying now? I’ve seen a lot of listings, but they were all above my budget.”   
  
“Unfortunately, we don’t. The average monthly rent for apartments in Crocus ranges between 800 and a thousand jewels. Any cheaper accommodations tend to go quickly, and since colleges have started again I highly doubt there will be a lot of options left at the moment.”   
  
“So...is there anything else you could do for us?” Rogue asked as he ran a hand through the hairs of the side fringe that concealed almost half of his face, losing all hope fast.   
  
“I’m afraid not. Again, I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Do you have any more questions?”   
  
“No...Thank you for the information.”   
  
The phone operator wished them a pleasant day and ended the call, leaving Sting and Rogue to take in everything they’d just learned. Sting had stayed quiet until now- not counting the singing- but when all Rogue did was stare at the contracts, he decided to break the silence.   
  
“Well, that was helpful,” he mocked, laying the sarcasm on thick. “Now what?”   
  
“Now what?” Rogue repeated, making Sting seriously wonder if there was something wrong with his hearing. “You heard the lady, there’s nothing we can do! I know money probably isn’t an issue for _you_ , but it sure as hell is for me, so that agreement she suggested is not going to happen.”   
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Sting argued, crossing his arms in defiance.   
  
“Oh come on! Did you seriously think I didn’t know your type?” Rogue gestured towards his varsity jacket, “Football jock, class clown, spoiled rich brat...I’m sure your parents would be willing to pay your rent, whatever the cost, _Mr. Eucliffe._ ”   
  
Overcome by sudden rage, Sting shot up from his chair so quickly he knocked it over. He wasn’t surprised Rogue recognized his family name, his father was a prominent business tycoon after all, but the assumption that he didn’t have to worry about finances and the perception that he belonged to a certain category or “type” were enough to make his blood boil.   
  
“Oh yeah?! Well, guess what, circle-jerked twatwaffle, you don’t know anything about me!”   
  
And on pure anger-fueled impulse, he grabbed his key and stormed through the living room. Not trusting himself to keep his emotions under control, he put on his shoes and left the apartment.   
  
  
~~~  
  
  
“You called him a _what_ ?!”   
  
Natsu was shocked as much as humored when Sting told him how his first encounter with his new roommate had gone, stuffing his face with hot Cheetos as they lazed on the couch with Gray.   
  
"I don't know man, it just came out. I was so fucking pissed," Sting grumbled, still tense with frustration. 

"Weren't you trying to flirt with him a few hours ago?" Gray shot him a deadpan look. 

"That was _before_ I knew he was a douche canoe," Sting clarified, the insult earning him a snort from Natsu. ” _Now_ the only banging I want to do with him involves his head and a wall.” He sighed and tossed his head back against the backrest of the couch, “How am I supposed to share an apartment with this guy without running the risk of committing a federal crime or becoming the victim of one?”   
  
Natsu shrugged, “I dunno, but doesn’t he have a point? About the money, I mean. I’m sure your parents won’t make a big deal about the increase in rent, and if you unregister and go somewhere else he has no choice but to find another roommate or go back to wherever he came from.”   
  
“I-” Sting paused, thinking about what to say that explained his situation. There were some things he just didn’t want anyone to know. Not even his best friend. “I can’t ask my parents for money. We had an argument and...I kind of said that I didn’t need their money, that I would prove to them that I could take care of myself. My football scholarship covers my tuition and living expenses, and you know how our schedules are. I can’t juggle a part-time job along with classes, sports, homework and, you know, sleep.”   
  
“Then why don’t you just stay at the dorms like we do?” Gray suggested.   
  
“I can’t. They’re all full, I already checked.”   
  
They all fell silent, the only remaining sounds were the noises from whatever was going on in the room above them, and the loud crunching of Natsu eating his Cheetos.   
  
“You’re not staying here, are you?” Gray finally asked with an offensive level of dread.

  
“No,” Sting reassured him, “it was fun while it lasted, but sleeping on the couch is going to fuck up my back, and if that starts affecting my performance on the field I might lose my scholarship.”   
  
“Fun while it lasted, my ass,” Gray mumbled as he got up. “I’m going to my room, I’ve got better stuff to do than listening to your whining.” With his hands in his pockets, Gray retreated to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.   
  
It was Sting who shrugged this time. He knew Gray could be awfully cold, but Natsu seemed to like him even though he was kind of fixated on pranking and teasing him all the time, so he had to be a nice guy underneath all that assholery.   
  
Hold up.   
  
Struck by a sudden hunch, Sting lifted his head to observe Natsu, just in time to catch him throw a quick glance at Gray’s bedroom door. His usually careless and cheerful friend looked...kind of bummed, actually. Dare he say disappointed?   
  
“No way...” Sting said perplexed, keeping his voice low enough to keep Gray from possibly overhearing their conversation. “You like him. _Like_ -like him. Like, ‘cause-tonight-baby-I-wanna-get-freaky-with-you, like him. ”   
  
“Yea, I got your point, asshat. But no, It’s not like I’m in love with him or anything. I mean, sure, he looks hot, but he has a girlfriend. I just like messing with him. It’s fun!”   
  
“At least your roommate can take a joke…” Sting thought about Rogue, who he’d have to face again soon. Every day until he could find another place to live. Maybe he got lucky and someone would drop out, clearing a bed at the dorms. "Fuck my life."

"Okay, so maybe you got off on the wrong foot-" Natsu shrugged. 

" _Maybe?_ "   
  
"Shut up, buttface, I wasn't done yet. What I was trying to say was: until you find a solution, just try to make the best of it."

"Easier said than done," Sting sighed. He figured Natsu was probably right, and he should just avoid any interaction with Rogue but the strictly necessary, but still. He hadn't counted on having a roommate in the first place, and he just wished that home would be a place where he could just be himself for a change. "Can we play Guild Fighter? I wanna punch something."

"Sure!" With his usual wide grin, Natsu wiped his Cheeto hands on his pants before he turned on the tv and grabbed a pair of controllers, "prepare to get wrecked!" 

  
~~~  
  


They'd played for almost an hour, and after that Sting had grabbed the last remaining box with his stuff and left. Despite carrying the box he'd decided to take a short walk around town and stopped at a nearby café to eat something. Anything to postpone going back to his apartment. But he knew he couldn't stay away forever, so eventually, he trudged back home. 

Rogue was at the dining table, bent over one of his textbooks, but when Sting came in through the front door he got up from his seat immediately. 

"We need to establish some rules."

"Can I just take my shoes off for a second?" Sting snapped at him, annoyed by the fact that he was already nagged at when he had barely crossed the threshold. "Geez."

If that wasn't frustrating enough, the feeling of Rogue's eyes boring into him was making him more uncomfortable with every passing second. He was itching to lock himself away in his bedroom, but the door that led to it suddenly seemed a lot further away than it actually was. 

"Okay, fire away," he said once he'd put the box down and struggled himself out of his sneakers.

"Rule number one-" Rogue counted on his fingers, "clean up after yourself." He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Sting's shoes that were lying on the floor, then slowly looked over at his own pair of boots which were sitting neatly under the coat rack. 

"Rule number two: don't touch my belongings."

"Ew, why would I want that?" Sting stuck out his tongue in childish disgust. 

"You know what? Rule number three: just stay the fuck out of my way. Don't speak to me, don't look at me, don't even as much as breathe the same air as me!" 

"Fine!" Sting swept his shoes to the side and grabbed his box as he stomped through the room, into his bedroom, loudly slamming the door behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That song Sting was singing along to when they were put on hold is the amazing 'Boy With Luv' by BTS, which I absolutely love but don't own in any way.


End file.
